Ponomarenko V. Evolution of Means of Address in the Indo-European Languages: Comparative and Typological Aspect

This thesis analyses, from structural and semantic perspectives, pronominal and nominal forms of address in Romance, Germanic and Slavonic languages at three historical stages (since the oldest monuments’ times up to nowadays), making use of contemporary material of the remaining Indo-European and some other languages. Common features and distinctions between these forms are revealed, the most relevant regularities and peculiarities are defined. The thesis is the first attempt in Ukrainian linguistics to apply comparative-historical and typological approaches to the study of address as a communicative category. The results obtained by means of comparative analysis prove the dynamic character and different rates of historical development of means of address in various languages. The thesis demonstrates a considerable degree of conditionality of means of address caused by social and other extralingual factors. The research elucidates heterogeneous tendencies predetermining similarities and divergences between these means emerging at different stages of language development. A complex correlation between neutral and polite meanings of lexemes used in allocution is viewed as a result of specific secondary nomination concerning also personal pronouns. A relative role played by the genealogical factor in the formation of allocution systems and specificity of their evolution in Indo-European languages are ascertained. The thesis reveals a considerable variety of allocution structures and its means, an alternation of dissemination and reduction phases concerning totality of forms of address in various languages.